Turbine engines, such as those used to power aircraft, may include an inlet case for guiding a stream of working medium fluid into the engine. The case includes radially inner and outer walls both circumscribing an engine axis to define an annular gaspath. Struts span radially across the gaspath to connect the walls to each other. The interface between each strut and the adjoining wall and substructure must have the capacity to withstand appreciable structural loads.
Some engines employ a multifunctional strut whose surface is aerodynamically contoured so that the strut satisfies both structural and aerodynamic requirements. Alternatively, a designer may find it necessary or desirable to employ a dedicated structural strut enveloped by an aerodynamically contoured shell that has little structural value. If the designer is also required to package the dedicated structural strut and its shell in the same volume of space that would have been occupied by the multifunctional strut, the structural strut will be smaller than the multifunctional strut. This can compromise the strength of the interface or joint between the strut and the wall and substructure, particularly when the case is made of preforms comprising plies of composite materials.